The Familiar's Game
by Forever Doesnt Last
Summary: There are three species of humans in the world. There are mundanes, ordinary people, wizards, people with the ability to cast spells, and familiars, people with the ability to change into animals in order to aid the wizards. Poor Clary only wanted to live out her days like her mother: happily and quietly with her familiar at her side. Oh how the world can be so cruel. AU/ OOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi again guys. This is the third story I've tried to begin. Let's see how it goes. All I can say to try and redeem myself is that I've hit a low in my life. Certain things have happened to me this year that have really made it harder for me to focus on things that actually make me happy. I've been struggling a lot recently… However, I remember how happy writing Kiss it Better made me. Hearing from all of you guys here really made me happy! I hope that I can find a way to redeem myself to all of you. I will try my absolute best to continue the inspiration that is sparked at the beginning of a story. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the plot. And honestly not all of that either as I am reading Harry Potter right now so the whole wizard thing is pretty influenced. But the ideas are mine. That much I can do.**

 **~~~ Opening ~~~**

There are three species of humans on earth.

Mundanes, normal creatures who dwell on city streets or country roads, are unaware to the world around them. They lead normal lives and are allowed to live in ignorance. After the Mundie Witch War of 1692, in which mundies hunted members of the magic community, the other species thought it best that mundanes were left out of the loop.

Then there are wizards, people with the ability to use magic and have power over the occult. Their control over magic came from the Book of White, a spell book now taught in Idris schools from levels kindergarten to college. Wizards are tasked with keeping the world safe from demons or using their magic to better society, their ability setting them apart from the mundanes.

Finally, there are familiars. This group of humans has the ability to transform into their given animal (any animal is possible) in order to assist the wizards in their tasks. They are meant to give their knowledge, power, and lives to the wizards that they are assigned to. Their sole duty in life is to aid and protect their master.

Idris Academy, a prestigious school since the year 1234, specializes in the raising of witches, wizards, and familiars. Located in Idris, they utilize a thought out system which assigns a familiar to a wizard based on their unit of magic. The three units are recreational, knowledge, and power. Recreational wizards usually use their magic for entertainment. Their magic comes in unusual forms and is often regarded as quite talent based. To the world, they would become the actors and artists, the acrobats and the opera singers that made up the top of the industries. Knowledgeable wizards were the smartest and often used their smarts to study the world around them as well as aiding the power wizards in such things as battle strategies. Finally, the power wizards were often found in fighting positions, their ability to use forceful and powerful spells allowing them to become assets in fighting and war. After attending the academy, students will be prepared to utilize their years of training, their special ability, and their familiar to lead purposeful lives in the world.

"Before the world, we offer our skills and ourselves to the betterment of society. It is our wish to protect the world and to drive out the darkness that plagues us. It is on these words that we swear our loyalty to the great Idris Academy. May you teach us all.

Si vis pacem, para bellum."

 **~~~Chapter 1~~~**

The sunlight felt too bright today, the thin curtains covering Clary's small house's windows doing little to keep out the light. She heard noises down in the kitchen, the sound of coffee being brewed and eggs being scrambled, and slunk further into her quilt. She knew any minute now, Luke, her mother's familiar, would come upstairs to wake her up.

Luke had been with her mom since they had been paired in high school. Being a wolf, Luke was an amazingly powerful partner for someone with recreational magic like Clary's mom. They were usually given smaller animals, ones that could be of more help in the shops or studios that recreational wizards often found themselves at.

Although they had tried to hide it, Clary knew that Luke and her Mother, Jocelyn, had a thing for each other. Being familiars, it was a little bit more difficult for them to have an open relationship, but even though it was frowned upon, it happened often. In fact, after spending that much time around one person, it was hard to not develop feelings for them.

Clary heard shoes coming down the hallway towards her room and buried herself further into the blanket on her bed. As they turned the knob she held very still, stimulating the stance of a startled bunny as she hoped that Luke would not see her.

The door opened and not too soon was she flung into the frigid air that was her room without the warm confines of the blanket. She yelped and reached blindly for the blanket, the sun from earlier blinding her poor, tired eyes.

The laughs that followed, however, were not Luke's. No these laughs were even better.

She opened her eyes to be met with crooked glasses and mussed up hair. The added jeans and cheesy t shirt came together to complete the look.

"Simon!"

Forgetting the cold air and her rumpled, bedtime appearance, she launched herself at Simon who landed on the ground with a thud. Their bear hug lasted a solid five minutes before Simon made a move to break it.

For as long as Clary could remember, Simon had been her best friend. They had taken their first steps together and learned to speak together. Simon had been there when Clary had used magic for the first time and Clary had been there when Simon had turned into a brown rat for the first time.

Simon had been devastated when he found out his familiar animal. He had always had visions of something grand and wonderful, something that, he would never admit, would help Clary with whatever path she was given.

Simon had guessed that Clary would either be sorted into recreational, like her mother, or power. Clary and Simon had little knowledge of Clary's father, but her fiery personality and stubbornness were common among powerful wizards.

Being stuck as a rat had been horrible for him. Other children had called him rat boy for a majority of his life, in fact some still did. It was only Clary who saw the merit in his animal.

"Rats are smart!" She had told him on one particularly bad afternoon when Simon, only six at the time, had been picked on by a large group of other children.

"Smarter than any of those dummies anyway. They're all talk and no action. Why Simon, all you had to do was look at them and they all ran off."

Simon knew that wasn't true. Clary, although she didn't like to admit it, was gifted. Albeit a little out of control at times, Clary's magic use was extraordinary. She had mastered spells easily ever since she had started learning them and her power was awe inspiring. It had been Clary who had scarred off the group of children, the beginning words of a gag spell used to turn people into roaches leaving her mouth. While a spell like that didn't really exist, none of those children knew that. The other children knew that Clary had a lot of knowledge in the magic department and she had used this to convince them that all sorts of wicked spells existed. In reality, magic was a little bit more complicated then turning people into roaches.

For their whole lives, Clary and Simon had been together. There was little that could bring them apart.

After getting ready, Clary went to meet Simon, Luke, and her mom in the kitchen. What Clary had thought had been eggs, she found were pancakes.

"Simon and Clary, congratulations on starting your second year at Idris Academy!" Her mom said as she brought a tall stack of her famous blueberry pancakes to the table. Luke clapped as Simon got up and took a dramatic bow in front of the table, grabbing the maple syrup in one hand and a fork in the other on his way back up.

Being sixteen was a big deal in Idris, a small country in Europe where many wizards resided. At sixteen, wizards were paired with familiars in a big ceremony that took place about a quarter through the year. It was hard to wait. Because of all of their similarities and their relationship, it was likely that Clary and Simon would be paired together. At least, they hoped so.

The whole family finished up their breakfast together. As soon as they were done, Clary bolted up and grabbed her and Simon's plate, putting them into the sink. Resistance rose from Simon as he watched in dismay as his fifth helping of pancakes was carried off. After grabbing her bag and putting on her shoes, Clary grabbed Simon's hand and dragged him out the door. His complaints continued as Luke and her mother called out praises and goodbyes.

Before they even got half way down the street, Clary's mother rushed up behind them and gave them one last hug.

"Please be safe this year. Remember, I love you both so much. Come and visit often."

Idris Academy, it turned out, had a boarding system and students stayed on campus. The only time they were really allowed to leave the campus was on Sundays, holidays, and for special, extremely rare missions assigned by the academy.

Clary hugged her mom back, knowing she would be seeing her again next Sunday but still extremely sad inside.

"Castodit amor," Clary's mom whispered into her ear before stepping back and waving as the two walked away.

 **Translations:**

 **Si vis pacem, para bellum = If you want peace, prepare for war**

 **Castodit amorn = Love keeps**

 **A/N: Hi again! Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I have decided that Latin is probably going to be a part of the world that Clary and them live in just because I could… I don't really know why. However, I don't learn Latin so I actually have no idea what I am saying. If any of you have learned and or are learning Latin and wanna give me some pointers or fun phrases to incorporate, that would be awesome! Leave them in a review ;) Please tell me your thoughts. I think that writing will be good for me…**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Haha… oops… here's the next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the plot**

 **~~~ Chapter 2 ~~~**

Idris was set up much like Paris: The center was the home of the most important building, the governmental house of the Clave. Surrounding it was a spiraling pattern of housing and shop districts that were designed to go from rich to poor. The rich wizards and familiars were able to afford housing closer to the Clave while others, Clary's mom included, lived further out on the rings. Artists like Clary's mother resided in the 5th of 7 rings of the city. This district was made up of a large number of members of the fine arts and outcasts.

Clary's next door neighbor, for example, was an old, haggard woman named Dorothea who specialized in fortune telling. She had made quite a lot of money in her younger days but now spent most of her time pointing a laser at the wall and laughing maniacally as her cat jumped to get it.

On their way out of town, Clary and Simon were stopped by said woman as they crossed the road to the portal station a few blocks from their house. Dorothea stood before them, a black cloak covering her bony shoulders as she gazed up at them through a pair of glasses much larger than her face.

"Ah Clary, just who I wanted to see! I need your help washing the upstairs window panes of my house. My magic isn't strong enough anymore to scrub all of that grime off."

Clary and Simon both shuddered at the thought of Madame Dorothea's (that is what she required to be called) windows. Covered with layers of gunk and goo, those windows were impossible to see through. They didn't even give off a gleam in the sunlight.

Madame Dorothea had a habit of asking Clary, Simon, Luke, or Jocelyn to complete a multitude of odd jobs around her house over the years. As though she weren't a witch herself, she had requested Clary's help many, many times. Clary, however, didn't mind as she and Madame Dorothea had a secret.

Back in the day, Madame Dorothea had been a spectacular witch. Her magic was quite powerful and her fortune telling was always spot on. Whenever Clary had come over to help out, Madame Dorothea would teach Clary a spell. Most often they were small spells, simple fortune telling enchantments or casual spells; however, as Clary had grown older, Madame Dorothea had begun to teach her rare, powerful spells, certainly spells that were not good in the hands of a child. Madame Dorothea, hidden deep in her nasty house under heavy enchantments and provisions, kept one of five copies of the ancient Gray Book, a spell book long lost to the wizards of Idris. Clary had only the chance to read three spells from it, but this is where things got interesting. The ancient text of the Gray Book made it near impossible to read the spells printed on its old pages. However, for some unknown reason, Clary's eyes were able to read the words, her brain able to comprehend.

Although crazy, Madame Dorothea had become an important person in Clary's life. Within Clary resided a permanent kindness and admiring to the woman before her.

"Um Madame Dorothea, I would love to help out, I really would, but Simon and I are off to school today. If any other day I would say yes but I think being late on the first day might leave a bad impression on the professors." Clary let out a nervous giggle, glancing quickly at her watch to see that the entrance ceremony began in 20 minutes.

"Oh back to that old jail cell. I was never one for school you know. Why back in my day-"

"You used to skip school and tell fake fortunes as you pickpocketed rich people," Simon finished for her. They had heard this story a couple hundred times throughout their life and if they weren't in such a rush, they would have listened out of politeness to Dorothea.

"Okay, okay I get it you're in a hurry. So here, a parting gift before you go."

Suddenly, Madame Dorothea's hand snatched Clary's and held her hand between her own bony ones. Her eyes closed behind her giant glasses and her mouth began to move as a spell began to spill from her lips. Clary could feel a slight tingling throughout her body and she squirmed from Dorothea's cold hands.

"I see great trials in your future, my dear. Hardship awaits you at Idris Academy along with great strain physically and mentally." Clary heard the words in her brain, the voice of Madame Dorothea echoing instead inside her head as the physical Dorothea continued to chant the spell. Clary could see Madame Dorothea's eyes moving behind her lids, darting back and forth as the visions bombarded her.

Her spell had reached a low shout as the visions came more quickly. "Be careful my dear and watch who you trust. They may just bring you a lot of pain." At last the spell finished and Madame Dorothea's eyes opened again to rest on Clary.

"Oh dear, sounds like you've got quite the predicament coming up!" Madame Dorothea let out a shrieking cackle as she dropped Clary's hand and began to walk away, her cloak billowing out behind her. Simon and Clary exchanged a rather confused look as they watched her walk away.

When she got only a bit away from Clary and Simon she turned, her glasses glinting in the sun.

"Oh and Clary," her voice called out. "Stay away from cats."

With that Dorothea let out a thunderous laugh as she hobbled down the street, her black cloak disappearing into the scenery.

Idris Academy was the second largest building within the Idris area, but it was much further out of the way. Fields lay vast over different parts of the landscape and among the rolling hills of the country lie Idris Academy, stop number 8 in the portal directory.

The tall spires of Idris Academy rose above them from the portal stop as they stared up at the tall spires of the building. The front lawn was crawling with students and teachers. Some were running towards the gymnasium, where they held the opening ceremony, while others lounged about on the green. Clary and Simon stuck closely together as they made their way to the gym.

Clary and Simon certainly didn't dislike everyone in their grade. They liked a couple of people like Eric, Simon's familiar friend who had convinced Simon to join a band that was currently called "Directory of the Plaid Familiars." It was subject to change often, thank goodness.

Clary happened to like a witch who had been in her _Using Magic in the Arts_ class named Helen Blackthorn.

However a large portion of the class was too infatuated with a particular student to give Clary or Simon the time of day.

In fact, this very student sat lounged on the grass surrounded by witches, wizards, and familiars alike as they all listened to the apparently hilarious story leaving the students mouth.

Jace Wayland, the bane of Clary's existence, had made freshman year of Idris Academy hell for anyone who didn't like him. After being paired together in their potions class, Clary had decided that she didn't like him, when he had left her no choice but to do their entire final project of the year alone as he was "too busy going to parties and hooking up to bother making an invisibility potion." That wasn't all, however. It was at a party when Jace had come up to her and from that moment on, Clary's dislike began to grow rapidly for Jace Wayland.

 _Clary stood with her back to the corner, a red solo cup grasped carefully between her hands. She gazed out at the gyrating bodies and strobe lights of the dance floor as she sipped the cranberry juice in her cup. Clary loved parties, the nonsensical music and bright lights allowing her to let loose and forget about life for a short while._

 _For some reason or another, however, Clary didn't feel like partying tonight. In fact, she wanted to leave but had already lost Simon in the crowd, his poor thin body carried easily away by the mass of people. It was in this corner, that Jace Wayland appeared before her._

" _Hey baby, you look lonely. Want the honor of sharing my company tonight?"_

 _A beyond annoying smirk graced the boys arguably perfect features as his golden eyes drilled into Clary's green ones._

" _Hey_ babe, _nice offer but I'll pass. I've already got someone I'm waiting for." Sarcasm dripped from her words she pushed a hand against his chest in order to escape the confines of his arm cage._

" _Who are you waiting for? Rat boy?" He laughed. "That little rodent has already scurried off. In fact, if you look to the opposite wall you'll see him attempting to hit on my sister."_

 _Clary ducked under his arm, her small stature fitting easily under his rather large and muscular one, and gazed to the opposite wall._

 _Simon was indeed there with a gorgeous girl, her long black hair and pale skin shining under the lights. Simon was clearly very drunk and was struggling to hold himself up as Isabelle, Jace's sister, taunted him with a cheese cracker pulled from a snack bowl on the bar, clearly making fun of him._

 _Clary boiled with rage._

" _Don't talk about Simon that way!" She yelled at him. His grin remained as he held up his hands in surrender._

" _Look missy, I'm sorry for insulting your little pet. Now why don't we forget about that and you can show me a good time."_

" _Look mister, you and I both know that we have much better places to be. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to never talk to you or your family again."_

 _She started through the crowd towards Simon when Jace caught her arm._

" _Hey look, no one says no to me. I've got a record of getting every girl." His cocky grin was back and oozed confidence._

 _Clary rolled her eyes and puller her arm from his grasp._

" _Well looks like you just lost it."_

 _As she slipped through the crowd, she felt his glare burn into her back._

 _It looked like their hatred was now mutual._

"Would you look at that, Rat Boy and Fire Engine have returned to school." His mocking tone called out to them from across the green and his little group turned to look at Clary and Simon, cruel smiles adorning their faces.

Clary dipped her head lower and walked a little faster, pulling Simon's sleeve to follow suit.

"What's up Little Red? Out of those witty remarks? Or just too intimidated by me to think of anything good?"

Simon turned to him and Clary grabbed his shoulder but it was too late.

"She just doesn't want to waste breath on trash like you."

It was quite comical to hear the collective gasp from their group.

"Hey listen Rat Boy," Jace rose to his feet.

Simon was tall, almost a foot taller than Clary's five foot stature. Jace however, had beaten him by two inches. Add muscles and confidence and Jace outnumbered Simon easily.

"I like to eat rodents like you for breakfast, so I'd watch it." Jace licked his lips as a girl from the crowd, Aline, grabbed his arm from a slight swoon. This only made his smirk grow bigger.

Clary pulled Simon away, knowing that this was a fight that they most likely would never win.

"Come on Si," she whispered. "We'll just let them be late to opening." They both turned their backs and walked away as a laugh rose from the group.

Jace Wayland the familiar was infuriatingly lucky. Exuding confidence and graced with intelligence and power, Jace and his animal sure shared a lot of traits.

Very powerful and extremely rare, Jace had been gifted with the lion.

 **A/N: This update came way later then I wanted it too but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. To make up here is a little bit of a longer chapter. Though, I don't really like the Jace I wrote. BUT DON'T WORRY HE'LL CHANGE! Please leave your thoughts and suggestions in a review! Thank you to everyone who reviewed to my last chapter. We must all be on the same wavelengths cause a lot of you guessed where I was going. It was pretty obvious though, huh? Oh well thank you for the lovely reviews and leave your feedback please! See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi again guys! I'm kinda starting to get into this one. Let's see how that goes… I hope you guys enjoy! Warning for language in this chapter. It is rated T though so younger people be cautioned.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own TMI, just the plot.**

~~~Chapter 3~~~

Clary glared up at the stage as goldie locks stood in front of the auditorium, a generic speech spilling from his mouth.

Jace truly was perfect. He was athletic, good looking, popular, and to top it all off, rather smart. His good grades and outgoing personality won him enough favor among the class and teachers that he was chosen to give an opening speech on behalf of the student body of Idris Academy.

The audience seemed to hold onto each of his words as Clary slouched in her seat and rolled her eyes.

" _Glad to be here my ass,"_ Clary thought. _"You were 15 minutes late."_

She tapped her foot impatiently and the girl next to her turned her adoring eyes into a glare at Clary.

Clary saw this and out of pure petulance tapped her foot louder for a minute before relenting to the furious look on the girl.

Clary had spaced out long ago and began to let her eyes wander around the room. It was rather large and, even though it was a gym, had stained glass windows along the high ceiling. Clary watched as the different reds and blues filtered in through the glass and created a rainbow of colors. Her eyes drifted lower to Jace who was still talking. Clary took a moment to inspect his defined jaw and shining hair. She would never admit this to a soul, but Clary's fingers itched to paint him.

The image only lasted for a second, however, before it was broken by the applause of the audience as his smirk grew to catch the eyes of the fawning females.

Clary was brought back to the present when Simon nudged her side with his elbow, his sarcastic applause matching his unamused facial features.

Clary shook her head, shaking out any thought she had of Jace and his undeniable attractiveness.

After the opening ceremony, Simon and Clary made their way out of the room when they saw Jace along with several of the teachers shaking hands at the only open doors of the room. They tried to nudge their way to the left side where Professor Belcourt, the Magic and Medical specialist (her love of blood making her one of the best surgeons in history), and Amatis Graymark, Luke's sister who had become a familiar specialist in the course of transforming and the schools administrator, were shaking hands with passing students.

However, just as Clary feared, she tripped over her converse shoelace and stumbled quite ungracefully right in front of Mr. Goldie Locks himself.

He smirked down at her, his arm outstretched in a friendly manor but his eyes glinting with the intent of evil.

"Hey fire engine thanks for listening." He grabs her hand and pulls her in closer so that his mouth is right next to her ear.

"However next time, you might want to tone down your blatant ogling. People might start to get the wrong idea." He pulled away as Clary's face flushed.

"I was admiring the stained glass you pompous jerk. And how would you even know what I was looking at. Searching the crowd for me, Wayland?"

"Please, with hair like yours, who couldn't see you?"

Clary's hand went defensively to her hair as embarrassment began to wash over her. She was about to make a retort to him when suddenly a push from behind kept her moving forward, Jace's infuriating hand waving as his signature smile decorated his face.

The first two months of school passed as uneventfully as the opening ceremony had. Clary was dismayed to find she had three classes with Jace, Idris history, the mathematical meaning of magic, and potions (again).

Clary had done her absolute best to ignore him. His constant remarks and jokes added with the teasing of his little group, however, made that quite difficult.

It had been such a nice Tuesday so far. Clary had gotten up early enough to watch the sunrise from her bedroom while eating a blueberry muffin and drinking black coffee.

The dorms of Idris Academy took up four towers of the massive structure that was their school. Clary's dorm was in the east tower with a view overlooking vast fields and a perfect sunrise station. She had been ecstatic on room assignment day to find that the room even had stone seating built in front of the windows.

It was customary in Idris Academy that once a familiar and a wizard were paired, they would share a room. After the Pairing Ceremony, familiars were moved into their "masters" rooms where the only private time they had would be in the bathroom and behind the cover of a curtain between the two beds. This was supposed to promote an open and close relationship between familiar and wizard.

Clary enjoyed having the room to herself for the time being as she watched the sunrise. Her sketch book and a piece of charcoal sat next to her and she picked them up, once again hoping to capture the beauty.

After the first successful attempt at drawing the sun had been achieved, Clary thought that nothing could ruin the day. Of course, the only exception to this rule was Jace. It was always Jace.

It had been that morning when Clary and Jace had gotten into an argument in the classroom before anyone else had arrived.

"Just you wait! I don't care how great being a giant cat is. Whoever my familiar is will beat you in the Mortal Cup easily!"

"Please! If you get rat boy like you want, you don't stand a chance. That little mouse couldn't do a thing!"

The Mortal Cup was one of the biggest events at Idris Academy next to the Pairing Ceremony. In this event, wizards and familiars fought together in a coliseum type battle to become reigning champions and receive special honors and missions. Missions were chances to leave the school ground to complete tasks and were only ever handed out as prizes or rare training exercises. Completing missions would then be added into your transcript, raising grades and opening up an abundance of new opportunities making the Cup a very big deal to wizards and familiars alike.

As class began, they started their potions with test tubes and little fires as they combined ingredients that seemed to come from storybooks.

"Okay so three pinches of the fairy dust and a spoonful of dragon's breath and…"

Suddenly, Clary screamed as the flame underneath her test tube began to grow and grow. She tried to snuff it out as the teacher rushed over, wand poised as a suppression spell left his mouth.

The fire returned to its normal height but not before singeing the edge of Clary's lab jacket. The teacher took Clary's potion off the fire and gave her a stern look, demanding to see her after class.

After a good 30 minutes of apologizing profusely to the professor, Clary was let free on a warning and a task to fix her coat.

Outside of the classroom was a small courtyard with a picnic table at which Jace sat with a couple of his friends. They laughed when they saw her.

"Hey Engine, you shouldn't be making wild fires. Anyway isn't putting out fires supposed to be, like, your job?" Aline quipped, her long black hair going down past her obvious push up bra. The group laughed at her comment and Clary's cheeks flushed.

"You would think that you guys would have enough of a life to have at least one thing better to do than wait around here to make fun of me," Clary retorted.

"Oh no, someone better put out Clary! I think her tempers caught fire just like her hair." Clary scoffed. They were so elementary, what complete idiots! Clary couldn't help but notice Sebastian was among the group, one of Jace's closest friends and an accelerated fire user.

Jace didn't say anything during this whole exchange, but his face showed some pleasure at seeing Clary's reaction.

Before anyone could say anything else, Clary stomped away.

" _What was his deal!"_ She thought. _"All of this because I didn't want to sleep with him? How stupid can you be?"_

Clary's huffing was brought abruptly to a halt when she ran right into someone.

"Wow there little miss! Where's the fire?" Clary looked up to see cat like eyes, a bright white smile, and glittered eyeshadow spread generously across eyelids.

Clary glared. "This is so not the time for that joke, Magnus."

Magnus was a year older than Clary and had acted as her mentor during the first year of school. She had met him at the opening ceremony after his speech and ever since they had grown to be friends.

Suddenly a black raven swooped into the hallway, its wingspan wider than that of ordinary ravens. Its talons gleamed in the filtering sun and its beak came to a vicious point.

The raven landed on Magnus's shoulder, effectively cutting the conversation where it was. The giant bird leaned over and nipped at Magnus's ear angrily before spreading its wings and landing on the ground, this time as Alec Lightwood himself.

Alec Lightwood was Jace's adopted brother along with Izzy whom he was blood related to. Although Alec was the complete opposite of Jace with raven hair and bright blue eyes, a quiet demeanor and uncomfortable in large groups, they seemed to share their dislike of Clary.

"I've been looking for you everywhere Magnus, we're going to be late to our next class."

"Oh all right you caught me Alec. Just know I am not going happily."

Magnus reached over to Clary and embraced her in an overzealous hug.

"Don't worry Clary, those jackasses don't know who they're messing with."

With that Magnus and Alec departed down the hall, the only interaction between Clary and Alec a passive, silent head nod.

~~~ Time Skip~~~

Tonight was finally the night.

Banners had been hung in the auditorium as all of the second year students prepared in their dorms.

Girls put on fancy gowns and guys straightened their ties, each individual hoping to be paired with this friend or that idol.

Clary sat in her room with Helen Blackthorn, the girl from her _Using Magic in the Arts_ class from last year _._

Helen sat behind her, brushing and pinning Clary's red curls into a delicate half up half down with green pins.

Helens own blond hair was hanging simply in curls as her long, simple baby blue dress hung delicately from her thin shoulders.

Clary frowned at her own appearance in the mirror. She wished that she looked more like her mom with her beautiful straight red hair and flawless face. Clary's own face had a dusting of freckles across her nose like a Raggedy Ann doll and her small stature made her look about 12.

Clary's dress was knee length and emerald lace that led to a halter neckline. Her green strappy heels added some height but she was still at least four inches shorter then Helen.

A knock on the door had Helen putting the last pin into place. Clary then went to open the door to find Simon, a black suit looking nice and clean on him for once.

He stared for a moment at Clary, his breath inhaling for a moment.

"Wow well if it isn't Miss Fray, looking lovelier than ever." He bowed deeply and extended an arm. "It would be a pleasure to be your walking stick so you don't fall in those heels this evening."

Clary giggled and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"Well since you asked so nicely." She grabbed hold of his hand. Helen followed Clary outside and Simon offered his other arm to her. She took it with another laugh and they began down the hall.

Never in Clary's life had she seen Simon look so put together. It, honestly, unsettled her as she was used to his dorky appearance.

"Guys guess what. With both of you on my arms, I could pass as a total player." Both girls slapped his arm with their free hands.

As they walked Clary couldn't help but notice the easy conversation that flowed between them. She starred at Simon out of the corner of her eye as he told a joke to Helen and was sure. She couldn't care less what Simon was; she wanted him as her familiar.

The group made their way to the auditorium, done up with hanging chandeliers and balloons.

They found their seats, Helen and Clary sitting together on the wizard side and Simon going reluctantly to the familiar side to join Eric.

The way that the ceremony worked was that a special spell was used to tell who your familiar would be. The wizards would be called up to the stage three at a time where the choosing spell was placed over them. This spell was designated specifically to this event and did nothing more than make the wizard glow a certain color. One familiar from the crowd would then, in turn, begin to glow that same color and the two would be paired for life. It seemed simple but this spell was terrifying. It scanned your entire life from personality quirks to childhood memories. It knew everything about you and used that to sentence you.

Clary sat uneasily next to Helen, who appeared calm despite the nervous energy that was taking over the room. Everyone's talking had completely engulfed the room and Clary wondered if she would be sick from the noise and activity. No one could contain themselves.

The headmaster, an extremely powerful wizard named Raziel, rose and the room reluctantly grew quiet at his raised hands.

"Welcome students! Today could be one of the biggest nights of your lives. Tonight, you embark on a lifelong partnership that will not only aid you in life but save you in death. Let you learn to rely on each other and grow to support each other as a proper familiar and wizard should do."

The entire audience rose.

"Before the world, we offer our skills and ourselves to the betterment of society. It is our wish to protect the world and to drive out the darkness that plagues us. It is on these words that we swear our loyalty to the great Idris Academy. May you teach us all. Si vis pacem, para bellum," the students chanted back.

With that everyone sat back down and Amatis moved to the podium. She began to read off names three at a time as they took their place on stools in front of the audience. The spell was cast and Clary watched as frantic eyes searched for their colors. She observed as hands clenched their chairs in anger or released their tension in relief.

Helen was called up with another witch and a wizard. They each went under the spell and Clary watched as Helen's eyes scanned the crowd for the same glowing blue that engulfed her. Clary searched too and her eyes came to rest on Aline, Jace's little follower who's own skin was glowing a royal blue to match Helens. They locked eyes and Helen quickly looked away. Clary felt very sorry for Helen being stuck with Aline for all eternity but couldn't help but notice the slight suspicious release of Helen's hands on the stool.

They exited the stage and went to a third section where the pairs sat together to watch the rest of the ceremony.

Witch after witch after wizard went up to find out their fate and with each passing turn, Clary grew a little more nervous.

" _No Simon yet,"_ she thought.

Finally it was Clary's turn. She was called up with a witch named Maia and Isabelle Lightwood, Jace's adopted sister. Clary was too nervous to care much about her right now however.

Clary took her spot in her stool, the furthest to the right and the last to go under the spell. She held the sides of her stool to keep herself upright. How embarrassing would that be to faint in front of the whole class? She glanced at Izzy and Maia who both seemed rather relaxed for a reason unknown to Clary.

Amatis walked up behind Maia and whispered the spell over her head. With a flick of Amatis's wand, Maia began to glow. Starting from her toes and spreading upwards, a warm yellow began to light up her skin.

Clary looked out at the crowd and saw a shining yellow light from three rows back. It was Jordan, Maia's boyfriend who had a large, toothy smile spreading across his face. Maia mirrored it. Their joy was obvious and although Clary had never talked to either of them, she felt happy for them.

The feeling didn't last long however because Amatis had moved on to Isabelle. Amatis repeated the process and Isabelle too began to glow. Clary watched as her entire body was engulfed and a deep purple glow, matching the long dress she had on with a slit up the side, began to emanate from her skin.

Clary looked out at the audience having no idea who Isabelle would get. She wasn't seeing anyone and her outgoing personality wasn't truly matched by anyone in this class.

Then suddenly Clary saw it. To her absolute horror, she watched as first his tie, then his suit, then his face, and finally his hair began to glow purple. Clary felt as if she had just been punched in the gut or ripped in half as she watched Simon begin to glow purple.

He too looked shocked and instead of meeting Isabelle's eyes, he met Clary's. His eyes showed complete sadness and sorrow and all Clary wanted to do was yell out that there had been a mistake! That Simon and her were supposed to be together forever, just as best friends should!

Clary bit her lip to staunch the tears that threatened her eyes. The audience was slightly shocked as Izzy was a rather good and capable witch. No one thought that Simon was a worthy familiar for her.

None too soon, however, Amatis moved on and this time leaned over Clary. Unheard to the rest of the people, Amatis leaned close to her ear and whispered a quick "be strong Clary. Good luck."

With that the spell began and Clary began to tingle. She looked to her feet which began to glow a bright red. Like a fire, it spread up her body and engulfed Clary in a warm sensation.

" _There's still Eric somewhere. Maybe I could learn to live with him for the rest of my life."_ It didn't help. Clary yearned to change back time and make it so Simon and her would be together, like how they had planned.

The red continued to grow, a little bit brighter and hotter as Clary finally found the courage to raise her eyes from the ground. She was fully engulfed in red when she began to scan the familiars.

 _No red, no red, no red_

She continued her eyes backward.

 _No red, no red, no red_

Suddenly her eyes spotted it and she was sure that she was going to throw up right on the stage.

" _No no no no NO NO NO!"_ It repeated in her head over and over, a mantra that seemed as if it would never stop for the rest of her life.

If she had wished to turn back time just a minute ago, she would sacrifice her soul to change time now.

No this couldn't be! Clary squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. The room was dreadfully silent except for the seemingly never ending ringing in her ears.

Out in the audience, glowing as if on fire, was the absolutely horrified face of Jace Wayland.

 **A/N: So there you go! An extra long chapter just for you guys! Please leave a review because I worked extra extra hard on this and added a lot more than I was originally planning :D I already have the next chapter pretty much planned out so, no promises, but an update should be on its way within a week or so. I know we all saw this coming but let me know that I hopefully didn't disappoint!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi again guys! I'm back with a new chapter. Sorry it took so long! I am absolutely loving the feedback for this story. Whenever I hear from you guys it instantly makes my day better. Ok here is the next chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the TMI characters :(**

~~~Chapter 4~~~

"But Headmaster Raziel, theres been a horrible mistake!"

Clary was out of breath as she struggled to keep herself composed. Her hands were gripping the armrest of the chair she was in as she perched on the edge of her seat, prepared to jump up and make her case heard.

Jace, Clary's newfound familiar, sat as far away as possible, his chair scooched to the opposite end of the large mahogany desk.

Headmaster Raziel was leaning back in his chair, his hands clasped together under his nose as he listened politely to Clary's struggling attempt at keeping calm.

"Familiars and Wizards are supposed to have common personalities or traits that complement each other. I can assure you that there is nothing about that presumptuous kitten that meshes well with me!" Clary points her indignant finger at Jace who holds a hand to his chest in mock hurt at her kitten comment.

"Excuse me ma'am but I am absolutely not a presumptuous kitten you little runt." He grabs the arm rests of his chair and begins to stand as well.

Soon this turns into a yelling match as Clary and Jace stand throwing insults at each other, completely forgetting their surroundings.

After a few minutes of this behavior, Headmaster Raziel clears his throat and instantly their fighting stops. Clary sits as fast as she can, her face as red as her hair.

"Listen, the two of you are familiar and wizard, one of the most sacred bonds in the world. I get people in here every year claiming that there has been a mistake but that kind of relationship almost always becomes some of the best." His faint smile under his hands mimics that of a parent calming their bickering children. Jace and I glare at each other

" _I highly doubt that."_ I think.

"Anyway, the effects of the pairing are already permanent. Look at your arm.

Raziel points to my arm, bare from the tank top that I am wearing. I look at my arm and see what he was talking about for the first time. There is a simple red swirling design no longer then my pointer finger that now decorates my upper arm. Jace stares at it for a few minutes before pulling up the sleeve on his shirt, finding the same mark on his arm. He groans audibly.

"Why did it have to be in such a visible place?" he groans, probably thinking of the visual reminder that we are paired every time he takes his shirt off.

Raziel just smiles, reminds us that it will work out, and dismisses us from his office.

We leave to find Izzy and Simon out in the hallway, their arms both crossed over their chests as they stare at each other. Simon's is friendly as he tries to keep up appearances as Izzy just stares at him, a look that Clary can't place in her eyes.

At the emergence of Clary and Jace, Simon turns to them.

"Judging by your faces and the good three feet between you, that didn't go well." Jace just snorts.

"No Si, it didn't go well. Now come on lets go, I don't want to be around him anymore." Clary tugs on Simons sleeve as she pulls him down the hall. Simon gives a little, sarcastic wave towards Izzy and Jace as they retreat down the hall. The last thing they see is Izzy and Jace bent together, whispering as they turn the corner.

"Simon, there is no way I can do this," Clary says as soon as they are out of earshot of the other two. Simon watches her, silently, waiting for her to continue.

"He's just so awful! I can't spend three minutes with him, let alone the rest of my life! He hates me, I couldn't trust him to have my back." Clary stops in the middle of the hallway in between an open archway that let out into a courtyard.

Simon stops too and wraps his arms around her, embracing her in a hug. Clary rests her head on his chest, sobs escaping her as she tries desperately to cover her eyes. Simon continues to hold her even as her sobs turn violent and she turned to beat her fists against his chest.

"Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been you?" Her tears are coming on strong. Simon doesn't try to say anything yet, knowing very well that what Clary needs right now is someone to listen to her.

It is a good five minutes before she whispers "what am I going to do Simon?" Her tears begin to slow down as she composes herself and her arms hang limply by her side, her shoulders hunched in defeat.

Suddenly, after she appears to have settled down, the panic begins to rise. "What if he refuses to work with me? My grades could tank or even worse what if we're picked for a mission? What if he lets me get killed?!" Clary's breathing has picked up dramatically and she begins to hyperventilate. Simon decides it is time for him to intervene.

"Hey Clary just breath, breath. In out and in out." He repeats this until her breathing has returned to a suitable level, his voice hushed and soothing.

"Clary, he might be a horrible person, but I don't think he will let you get killed. I wouldn't let him," Simon says as he holds her chin to force her to look into his eyes. " and he may be an asshole and a douchebag and a pompous jerk but you have to work past that. He's going to be a partner for life and even though I hate to say it, you will have to learn to get along." Simon's heart pangs with jealousy at the "partner for life" bit, but he knows his unrequited feelings aren't the focus here.

Clary hates to admit it but she knows Simon is right, knows that she will have to learn to get along with Jace. There is no changing how things are. She rests against Simon's chest again and sighs.

"It would have been so much easier if you had just been my familiar."

"I know."

She takes a deep breath. "Thanks Si, you really are the best friend in the whole world."

Simon's heart begins to pang for a different reason.

That night Simon and Clary go back to Clary's room to watch a movie instead of going out.

When Clary opens the door, she sees that the empty bed that was next to hers was made and that two suitcases of things had been place by it. Jace's things.

"Wow only two bags for such a pompous feline. He sure knows how to travel light," Simon huffs.

They go over to Clary's side of the room and she pulls the curtain closed, not wanting to see where Jace would be sleeping. She pulls out her laptop and Simon and her begin to watch an anime that Simon's friend had recommended.

The show is good but Clary is exhausted from her breakdown earlier and soon begins to drift off to sleep, her eyes sagging.

Simon looks over to see Clary passed out, her mouth hanging slightly open and her hair splayed over the pillow like fire spreading. Simon gets off the bed and tucks her in, leaving her laptop on the adjacent desk. He notices that Jace isn't back and grumbles. Simon knows that he was defending him earlier, but he can't help but to feel the hatred for him rise up in his throat.

He walks over and kicks one of Jace's suitcases, light enough that it doesn't make a loud noise but hard enough to knock it over.

" _That stupid bastard doesn't deserve her."_

Simon leaves the room his head brewing with anger and jealousy.

It's not until 3 A.M. that Jace finally stumbles into his new room, heavily intoxicated. He grips his head and looks around the room, not quite remembering where everything was in his drunken state.

Jace had decided to stay out all night drinking in order to forget the red head hidden somewhere in this spinning room.

She was such a nuisance and a pain to deal with and Jace hated it when women didn't throw themselves at his feet. He hated being denied.

Jace spots a patch of red in the room and unintentionally walks over to it.

It's Clary, sleeping soundly with her hair still spread across the pillow.

" _Stupid Clary with her stupid hair,"_ he thinks as she sleeps soundly. He reaches out and picks up a curl lightly, feeling its softness between his fingers.

It might have been his extremely intoxicated state or just the fact that he was alone, but he found himself admitting that he found Clary attractive. She was so different from any girl he'd ever met with a small stature and pale skin. She looked like a doll laying there. She had such a fiery personality and Jace had no greater pleasure then seeing her cheeks turn red from anger or embarrassment.

He feels himself begin to lean down, his lips almost touching her forehead when he stops.

" _Stop it Jace, you're being creepy."_ Jace stumbles away.

" _Gosh, how could you get this drunk?"_ He thinks to himself, his head spinning.

He stumbles to bed.

It is the annoying beeping of her alarm clock that finally wakes Clary. She yawns and rubs her eyes. She reaches out an arm to stop the sound but can't seem to find the snooze button. Still half asleep, she reaches for her pillow to throw at the alarm.

She grabs the corner of her pillow and tugs but it refuses to move. In her half dazed state she confusedly pulls again and again. Finally awake, Clary leans up to see what is stopping her pillow, only to see a blond head of curls and tanned skin gripping the other edge, eyes closed, as a loud groan escapes her lips.

Clary screams as she scrambles backwards right off the edge of the bed with a crash.

"Woooow Red calm down, it is way too early to be screaming that loud," Jace says as he sits up and rubs his head. "Gosh I have a killer headache."

"Jace," Clary hisses. "What are you doing in my bed?" Her voice is angry and he looks up at her.

"Listen Red, I don't remember much of last night at all but if you really wanted me in your bed that much you could have just asked." He rubs his head again.

"I didn't ask you to get in my bed, I woke up and found you there! Now get off!" She's beet red with embarrassment and anger and he just stares at her before plopping back onto the pillow.

"No I'm going back to sleep."

" _What a child!"_ Clary thinks as she goes to push him off the bed.

Suddenly, the morning bell starts, signaling the beginning of breakfast.

"Jace, I'm going to breakfast then class. You had better be ready in time for class and my bed better be made by the time I get back or you are sleeping in the hallway tonight." She glares at him as he just lifts up his hand in a shooing manner.

She huffs as she leaves the room to get dressed.

" _Where is he?!"_ Clary is in her last class of the day and Jace has still not made an appearance. It was their first day of pairing training and she was glowing with embarrassment at the fact that she was the only person in the room without a familiar.

" _I'm going to kill him."_ The teacher begins the lesson and all of the students stand, heading over to the training area, a simple room with mats and other training equipment covering the floor.

"Okay now wizards, pull out your wands and familiars turn." The room lights up with the sparking of wands and the bright light of turning. Clary pulls out her wand, a simple one that her mom had said was a family heirloom. The large room is suddenly filled with animals and wizards as they work together to defeat an obstacle course of wooden enemies.

It is finally Clary's turn and she steps up to the started place.

"Hold it! Where, Ms. Fray, is your familiar?"

Clary turns beet red as the class whispers.

"I don't know ma'am." She turns her head down.

"Okay well we will have to wait until Mr. Wayland decides to make an appearance. For now please exit the line."

Clary practically dies from mortification as she steps to the side to let the next pair go.

The entire period passes and still no Jace. Clary is fuming.

After class, Clary is left to walk back to the room alone. She looks at the homework from her pairing class and notices that it's an exercise to do with your familiar.

She groans.

" _There is no way I am going to pass this class."_

She walks slowly back to the room, thinking about Jace this morning and wondering how she would ever live with him for her life. She was so angry at him for everything. For embarrassing her, for not listening to her, for being cocky, for ruining her plans!

She had a feeling that they wouldn't be talking again for a while.

She entered slowly into their room, peeking in to make sure that Jace wasn't there. She didn't want to see him.

She dropped her backpack by the door and collapsed, sighing and ready to pass out, the last thought in her head that at least he had the decency to make her bed.

 **A/N: Again thank you guys! I know this chapter is pretty boring but I promise it will get more exciting in just a bit! And to me right now this might be supporting Climon more than it is Clace so I made an attempt to make it a little more Clace friendly. Anyway thanks for reading and please leave a review and tell me what you think! I promise – action- in the next few chapter so look forward to it!**


	5. Authors Note Please Read!

**Hello! I haven't updates this story in a while but there is a good reason why. I am, currently, unhappy with my writing style and capability. Writing has always been one of my favorite things to do and I really want to push myself to become better. Reading some of this over, I am realizing that this is not the best work that I could be putting out.**

 **Thereby I would like to begin again.**

 **I will continue this story but from a new place and this one will sadly be deleted when the new story is up. I am working on the chapters now so updates will hopefully be faster in order to not leave you reading things that you already know.**

 **I am doing this solely because I like this story and I think I can do better.**

 **Please be patient and thank you for being the best readers ever!**


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